Universal shoulder rest for violins and violas of all sizes

ABSTRACT

The universal shoulder rest or shoulder rest appliance is for bowed string musical instruments such as violins and violas. The appliance includes a unitary structure mounted on the back of the instrument box and having an elongated arm and a plate connected to the base of the arm. The plate extends beneath the arm and diverges therefrom throughout its length. The base, located at one end of the arm, is provided with a groove and the other end of the arm is provided with a foot having a groove. The groove on the base interfits with the lower ridge of the instrument back beneath the end pin thereon. The intermediate portion of the arm between the ends thereof is curved to provide space between the intermediate portion of the arm and the back of the instrument box when the appliance is applied to the instrument. The back surface of the plate is adapted to engage a person&#39;&#39;s shoulder to rest the instrument thereon. Yieldable means are provided in the grooves at the ends of the arm for connecting the structure to violins and violas of all sizes.

United States Patent [191 Annessa A 1 Aug. 6, 1974 1 UNIVERSAL SHOULDER REST FOR VIOLINS AND VIOLAS OF ALL SIZES [57] ABSTRACT [76] Inventor: Domenico M. Annessa,.3536 Burns,

Detroit, Mich.

Primary Examiner-Lawrence R. Franklin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Charles R. Rutherford The universal shoulder rest or shoulder rest appliance is for bowed string musical instruments such as violins and violas. The appliance includes a unitary structure mounted on the back of the instrument box and having an elongated arm and a plate connected to the base of the arm. The plate extends beneath the arm and diverges therefrom throughout its length. The base, located at one end of the arm, is provided with a groove and the other end of the arm is provided with a foot having a groove. The groove on the base interfits with the lower ridge of the instrument back beneath the end pin thereon. The intermediate portion of the arm between the ends thereof is curved to provide space between the intermediate portion of the arm and the back of the instrument box when the appliance is applied to the instrument. The back surface of the plate is adapted to engage a persons shoulder to rest the instrument thereon. Yieldable means are provided in the grooves at the ends of the arm for connecting the structure to violins and violas of all sizes.

14 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 1 UNIVERSAL SHOULDER REST FOR VIOLINS AND VIOLAS OF ALL SIZES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various types of shoulder rest appliances for violins and violas have been used in the past. Such appliances have been uncomfortable to many users. An acceptable shoulder rest appliance must meet a number of requirements. One requirement is that the shoulder rest appliance must be susceptible to low cost manufacture. Another is that the appliance must be mounted on the in strument in such a way as not to scratch or otherwise damage the instrument. Still another requirement is that the shoulder rest appliance must be constructed and arranged to withstand the stress of continued usage.

The present invention utilizes a unitary structure which is connected at its ends by elastic members to two spaced apart places on the back of the instrument box and combines all of the aforementioned qualities or requirements to an optimum degree. The shoulder rest appliance of the present invention is of structural simplicity, economical to manufacture and is durable in use. The same shoulder rest appliance may be mounted on a violin or viola, which are of different sizes, due to the rovision and use of elastic or stretchable members such as rubber bands.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The shoulder rest appliance is of the simplest possible construction consistent with accepted standards. The appliance comprises a unitary structure having an elongated arm, in the form of a snake, having at one end a base provided with a groove. The groove on the base is adapted to inter-fit with the lower ridge on the back of the instrument box below the end pin and forms a hinge-like construction. A foot is provided at the other end of the arm and is provided with an annular groove. The grooves at the ends of the arm receive elastic elements which yieldably connect the arm to the back of the instrument box. The elastic element at the foot of the arm also forms a gasket or cushion between the bot tom of the instrument box and the foot to prevent the arm from scratching the back of the instrument.

The structure further comprises a plate, shaped like a tongue, which is connected at one end to the base of the arm. The plate extends beneath the arm and di verges therefrom throughout its length, with the back surface of the plate being adapted to engage a persons shoulder to rest the instrument thereon.

In order to further prevent marring or damage to the instrument back, the arm intermediate its ends is curved to provide space between the intermediate portion of the arm and the instrument back. The unitary structure may be formed of a rigid plastic material. The elastic members used to connect the structure to the appliance may be in the form of rubber bands which are commercially available and aids in the economical manufacture of the invention.

The tongue or plate may be provided with a friction device such as elastic elements or rubber bands which are adapted to engage the persons shoulder to resist sliding of the instrument.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a bowed 2 string instrument, with the back of the instrument facing upwardly and illustrating the appliance attached to the instrument box;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the instrument showing the appliance attached to the lower surface of the instrument box; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the shoulder rest appli- 3110C.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The drawing illustrates a bowed string musical instrument 10 such as a violin or viola of standard or conventional construction. It includes a sounding or instrument box 12 having top and back plates or sound boards 14 and 16. The plates 14, 16 are slightly curved or bowed and are separated by the usual sides 18 which enclose the instrument box 12. The box 12 includes a lower ridge 20 and an upper ridge 22. The ridges extend around the periphery of the box 12 at the places where thetop and bottom plates 14, 16 join the sides 18.

The top or top plate 14 is provided with the usual sound holes or openings 24, only one of which is shown in FIG. 2. The instrument 10 further includes the usual end pin 26 secured to the side 18 at the base of the instrument box 12 and a string holder or tail iece 28 extending lengthwise of and being spaced from the top plate 14. A tailpiece gut or strap 30 has the ends thereof secured to the under side of the string holder or tailpiece 28, with the intermediate portion thereof extending around the end pin 26. The gut 30 is made from leather or from a plastic material and serves as a strut or brace to help maintain the tailpiece 28 in spaced relationship to the top plate 14. The inner end 32 of the tailpiece 28 is provided with openings, not shown, for attaching the strings 34 (usually four in number) of the instrument thereto. The strings 34 extend over or across the bridge 36 and along and generally parallel to the conventional finger board, not

shown, which is carried by the usual handle or arm provided on the instrument. The arm is provided with pegs to which the other ends of the strings 34 are connected in the usual manner. The bowed string musical instrument 10 per se as just described is of conventional construction and does not form part of the present invention.

The shoulder rest appliance 40 of the present invention includes three separate elements including a unitary structure 42 and a pair of elastic elements 44, 46 which are adapted to connect opposite ends of the unitary structure 42 to a pair of spaced areas on the instrument box 12 as shown in FIG. 1.

The unitary structure 42 is made from a generally rigid plastic material although it should be appreciated that other types of materials may be utilized such as wood or metal. The structure 42 which is made in one piece during the forming or manufacturing process, comprises an elongated arm 48 shaped somewhat like a snake as illustrated in FIG. 3. The arm 48 includes at one end a base 50 having on the inner surface thereof a generally elongated hinging groove 52. The base groove 52 is of generally C-shaped construction and is adapted to fit over and form a hinge with the lower ridge 20 of the instrument box 12 at a place immediately below the end pin 26 as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The other end of the arm 48 is provided with a foot or head 54 having a generally flat surface 55 adapted to face the lower plate 16-when mounted on the instrument. An annular groove 56 is provided around the head 54 and is adapted to receive the elastic element 46.

When the unitary structure 42 is mounted on the instrument box 12 the intermediate portion of the arm 48 between the ends thereof is spaced from the bottom plate 16 so as to prevent marring of the instrument and to further permit the bottom plate to vibrate in the usual manner. Thus the usual acoustical resonance of the box 12 is maintained.

The elastic elements 44, 46 may be in the form of rubber bands which are commercially available. Rubber bands of 2 inches in length, by 1% inches in width and of 1/16 inch in thickness (No. 14 size) have been used successfully for mounting the unitary structure 42 on the instrument box 12. v

The unitary structure 42 further includes a plate or tongue 58 formed integrally with the arm 48. The plate 58 is connected on one end only to the base 50 on the side thereof opposite the groove 52. The plate 58 extends beneath the arm 48 and diverges therefrom as best illustrated in FIG. 2. In order to mount the unitary structure 42 on the instrument box 12, the arm 48 has a length approximately equal to twice the length of the plate 58. The plate 58 is wider than the arm 48 except in the area near the base 50 of the arm 48 as shown in FIG. 3. At the place where the arm 48 and the plate 58 intersect near the base 50 there is provided a groove or recess 62 which receives the elastic element 44. The ends of the groove 62 terminateat the end surface 63.

In mounting the shoulder rest appliance 40 on the instrument box 12 the elastic element or rubber band 44 is tied to the tailpiece gut 30 by first moving or sliding the rubber band 44 under the tailpiece 28 between the tailpiece 28 and the top plate 14 and thereafter moving the rubber band 44 downwardly between the side 18 and the gut 30. A slip knot 66 is then made in the rubber band 44 so as to secure the rubber band 44 to the gut 30.

The tongue or plate 58 is then inserted through the loop portion of rubber band 44 until the rubber band 44 is received in or occupies the groove 62. Unitary structure 42 is then inserted beneath the lower plate 16 of the instrument box 12, with the groove 52 of the base 50 of the arm interfitting and forming a hinge with the lower ridge 20 at the place thereon beneath the end pin 26. Both strands of the rubber band 44 are placed on the right hand side of the end pin 26 (when viewing the instrument from the left side of FIG. 2) to prevent the structure 42 from sliding.

The rubber band 46 is inserted in groove 56 and is secured by a slip knot 63. Once the structure 42 is hinged to the instrument box 12 as previously described, the head or foot 54 of arm 48 is tied or yieldably connected to the instrument box 12 by looping the rubber band 46 around a portion of the box 12 as shown inFlG. 1. When viewing the appliance 40 from the left side of FIG. 2, the am 48 curves to the left. Part of rubber band 46 lies between the surface 55 of head 54 and the bottom plate 16 and forms a yieldable cushion which prevents the head 54 from marring or scratching the box l2.

The plate or tongue 58 has a lower surface 70 which rests on a persons shoulder. In some instances antislipping means may be provided on the tongue or plate 58 to prevent it from slipping when the instrument is in use. Rubberbands 72 may be mounted on the plate 58 to prevent slippage or cork or other yieldable material may be secured to surface 70 to help prevent the plate 58 and hence the instrument from slipping.

As an optional feature the hinge groove 52 may be lined with cork or other soft material to insure that the structure 42 does not scratch or damage the instrument back or plate 16. i

It is well known that a viola is larger than a violin. The same size shoulder rest appliance may be mounted on a violin or viola due to the provision and use of the elastic or stretchable members or rubber bands 44, 46. The larger areas of the viola are negotiated by a greater stretching of the rubber bands 44, 46.

It is also well known that violins are available in four sizes, including regular, three-fourths size, one-half size and one-quarter size. Thus, the universal shoulder rest or appliance of the present invention may be used with violins and violas regardless of size by selecting the proper size of the elastic or stretchable members or rubber bands 44, 46.

What is claimed is:

1. An appliance adapted to engage the back of a bowed string musical instrument comprising a unitary structure having an elongated arm having a base provided on one end thereof with a groove, with the groove on said base being adapted to interfit with a portion of the instrument on the under side thereof, and a foot at the other end of said arm adapted to be connected to the instrument, said structure further comprising a plate integrally connected on one end only tliereof to said arm adjacent said one end of the base and its groove, said plate intersecting and extending beneath said arm and diverging therefrom throughout its length, with the back surface of said plate adapted to engage a persons shoulder to rest the instrument thereon.

2. The appliance defined in claim 1 wherein said arm intermediate its ends is relatively rigid and is curved to provide space between the intermediate portion of the arm and the instrument when the appliance is applied to the instrument.

3. The appliance defined in claim 1 wherein yieldable means is connected to said foot and is adapted to yieldably connect said other end of the arm to the instrument.

4. The appliance defined in claim 1 wherein said structure is as a unitary whole made from a rigid plastic material.

5. The appliance defined in claim 1 wherein a second groove is formed in said arm adjacent its said base, said second groove extending around said plate where it intersects said arm.

6. The appliance defined in claim 5 wherein an elastic member is located in said second groove and is adapted to yieldably connect said appliance to the instrument adjacent said base.

7. The appliance of claim 6 wherein said elastic member is in the form of a rubber band.

8. The appliance defined in claim 1 wherein the foot of said arm is provided with an annular groove, and an elastic member in said annular groove which is adapted to yieldably connect said appliance to said instrument.

12. The appliance defined in claim 1 wherein a friction device is provided on said plate and is adapted to engage the persons shoulder to resist sliding.

13. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said arm is approximately twice the length of said plate.

14. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the unsupported length of said plate has a width greater than the width of the intermediate portionof said arm. 

1. An appliance adapted to engage the back of a bowed string musical instrument comprising a unitary structure having an elongated arm having a base provided on one end thereof with a groove, with the groove on said base being adapted to interfit with a portion of the instrument on the under side thereof, and a foot at the other end of said arm adapted to be connected to the instrument, said structure further comprising a plate integrally connected on one end only thereof to said arm adjacent said one end of the base and its groove, said plate intersecting and extending beneath said arm and diverging therefrom throughout its length, with the back surface of said plate adapted to engage a person''s shoulder to rest the instrument thereon.
 2. The appliance defined in claim 1 wherein said arm intermediate its ends is relatively rigid and is curved to provide space between the intermediate portion of the arm and the instrument when the appliance is applied to the instrument.
 3. The appliance defined in claim 1 wherein yieldable means is connected to said foot and is adapted to yieldably connect said other end of the arm to the instrument.
 4. The appliance defined in claim 1 wherein said structure is as a unitary whole made from a rigid plastic material.
 5. The appliance defined in claim 1 wherein a second groove is formed in said arm adjacent its said base, said second groove extending around said plate where it intersects said arm.
 6. The appliance defined in claim 5 wherein an elastic member is located in said second groove and is adapted to yieldably connect said appliance to the instrument adjacent said base.
 7. The appliance of claim 6 wherein said elastic member is in the form of a rubber band.
 8. The appliance defined in claim 1 wherein the foot of said arm is provided with an annular groove, and an elastic member in said annular groove which is adapted to yieldably connect said appliance to said instrument.
 9. The appliance of claim 8 wherein said elastic member is in the form of a rubber band.
 10. The appliance defined in claim 8 wherein said elastic member forms a resilient cushion which prevents said foot from contacting said instrument.
 11. The appliance defined in claim 1 wherein an elastic member is provided on said plate and is adapted to engage the person''s shoulder to resist sliding.
 12. The appliance defined in claim 1 wherein a friction device is provided on said plate and is adapted to engage the person''s shoulder to resist sliding.
 13. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said arm is approximately twice the length of said plate.
 14. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the unsupported length of said plate has a width greater than the width of the intermediate portion of said arm. 